War College
| upkeep_cost = | sells_for = | effects = All new Normal Units produced in this town start with . | building_unlock = }} A War College is a type of Town Building. Only the 7 advanced races - including the High Elves, High Men, Nomads, Orcs, Beastmen, Dark Elves and Draconians - may construct this building. A town must contain both the Armorers' Guild and the University before it can construct a War College. The War College's base construction cost is . The War College is the epitome of the military development branch, and provides a single but extremely important bonus to any unit-producing town: When this structure is present in a town, any new Normal Unit produced here will start with , giving it at least a rank of "Veteran". This gives the unit a few important bonuses as soon as it is created, making it much more suitable for combat and allowing it to reach "Elite" level within a very short time. The War College unlocks no new buildings or units. It is constructed only for the bonus described above. The War College requires an Upkeep Cost of per turn for its maintenance. If you're pressed for Gold, a War College can be sold back for . Description By the time a town has advanced as far as it can go in both military development and intellectual development, it houses both the most advanced weapon manufacturing techniques (at the Armorers' Guild) and the best center for the academic study of a wide variety of subjects (at the University). This allows scholars who have a particular interest in strategy and tactics to join a dedicated academy that explores the various aspects of war itself, and the best means in which to train new recruits. The result is the War College, where both officers and soldiers receive the most professional training that money can buy. The War College appears as a large keep - almost a castle of its own. The central structure is hidden behind a strong outer wall made of green bricks, with strong towers at each corner, a strong wooden gate, and battlements atop its high walls. Banners similar to those seen on the front of the Fighters' Guild are hung at the front of this structure as well. The central hall houses the scholars and provides accommodations for both officers and scholars, as well as facilities for education on warfare. Races and Construction All of the "7 advanced races" who have access to the University also have access to the War College. These include the High Elves, High Men, Nomads, Orcs, Beastmen, Dark Elves and Draconians. It is only natural that in times of war, any race that is sufficiently advanced to construct higher centers of learning will turn some of its focus towards wartime studies. A town requires both the Armorers' Guild and University in order to construct a War College. If either structure is missing, a War College cannot be built. In fact, if either structure is lost or sold off while the War College is still in construction, the project will be canceled prematurely and cannot be restarted until these required buildings are rebuilt. Construction of a War College costs . As such an expensive building, the War College is rarely constructed in towns that are not entirely dedicated to unit production - there is no need for it in such towns, and the Upkeep Cost of per turn serves to further discourage such frivolous construction. Continuous Effects While the War College is present in a town, any new Normal Unit produced in this town will get for free (starting with 61 Experience Points instead of only 1). A unit with has an Experience level of "Veteran". This translates to a bonus of +1 Attack strength (in all types of attack the unit possesses), , and . It obviously also means that the unit will take less time to reach its highest Experience levels ("Elite") and gain more bonuses - assuming the unit survives long enough to reach it. The resulting units are significantly better at combat, and thus are more likely to win their first engagements with the enemy. New units no longer have to spend so many turns waiting to get their first or second experience levels (or risk themselves in combat trying to reach them). Note that this effect applies to all Normal Units produced in the same town as the War College. Even Settlers, who are decidedly non-combat units, get this Experience bonus. However, new Mercenaries and Heroes do not benefit from the War College, as they are not actually produced by the town itself. The bonus from the War College completely replaces a similar bonus given by the Fighters' Guild - they are not cumulative. If a town has a War College, new units produced here get exactly , not 20+60. Finally, note that wizards possessing either the Warlord Retort, the Crusade spell, or both, will have their new units starting at either "Elite" or "Ultra-Elite" level instead of "Veteran". For these wizards, units produced at a town containing a War College are still created with only , but these points translate to a higher Experience Level thanks to the Retort/Spell. Read the Warlord and Crusade articles for more information on this. Unlocked Town Buildings The War College represents the ultimate end of the military development branch. It unlocks no new Town Buildings for construction. Unlocked Normal Units The War College unlocks no new units of any kind for any race. It only improves existing unit types when they are produced at this town. Strategy With its excellent Experience bonus, the War College can be seen as essential in any major unit-production center that is capable of building it. The benefits of having new units start off at a higher Experience level should be obvious: they are much more suitable for combat straight off the production line, and take much less time and/or combat to reach the highest Experience level possible. As a result, a town that can construct the War College will often become the primary center for unit production, and should be given priority to create all new units for your army - unless it is too far from the front lines. It is not necessary to build a War College in each and every town you own. The high Upkeep Costs of this structure mean that it is often wasteful to build it all over the place, and it has little relevance in towns that won't be producing a steady stream of units. Do however try to produce most or all of your units at towns that do contain this building. Category: Town Buildings